Battery post connection



Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES HnNnY WEBER, on oAxLANn,.cALI FonNiA n y BATTERY POST comtncrron'y r Application -iled January 251929. Serial No. 335,285.

The invention relates to connections for electric terminal posts, and particularly'to a means for preventing corrosion at the connections lfor the terminal posts of storage batteries.

An object of the invention is'to provide a connection for a, storage battery post, orother electrical terminal post, which itself provides a reservoir for acorrosion-preventing le substance for the connection providedby it.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide means wherebyy the corrosiori-preventing substance. is arranged to be automatically supplied from the reservoir to the parts to be protected. i K

A further object of the invention is tov lprovide for a. renewal of a charge oft-he corrosion-preventing substance without requiring a .le'tachnient of the connector.

Yetanother objectof the invention is to incorporate the before mentioned features in a unitary connector.

The. invention possesses other objects and .features of' advantage, some `of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in' thefollowing description of a preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the accompan ying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation showing the connector operatively mounted on the terminal post. of a storage battery, only a. fragment of the battery being shown.

Figure 2 is a plan view 'of the installation of .Figure l.

taken on the line 3 3 in Figure 2.

Y Figure l is a sectional'view taken on the line 4 4 in Figure 3,11 portion vof a packing wick being broken a yay lfor clarity. n

As is well known, electrical."connections which are exposed to the action of the fumes of acid or other chemicals must be protected to prevent their corrosion and the formation of corrosion products thereon. This is particularlytrue in the case of connections for lead storage batteries in' which sulphur-ic acid is used as an electrolyte and from which acid and acid vfumes escape to corrodev the connections unless the latter are protected'by such means as an acid resistant coating. `Ac

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional viewV cordingly, it has heretofore been the general custom to )rote'ct such connection portions as are subject to corrosion by coating the same with a suitable acid resistant preparation, substances formed ofor containing petroleumvgreases or animal fats 'being most commonly used for the purpose. Such coatings must, however, be periodically renewed, as they dry out through the acquisition of dust and are alsogmelted'or brushedfrom the menibfers'they protect,- and the present invention accordingly provides for a constant and automatic maintenance of a protective coating on the connections by providing in a connector member thereof a reservoir for Aa supply of the coating subst-ance -and. means for effecting a distribution of the'substance tothe parts to be protected. f

lAs particularly disclosed, the invention is incorporated in the structure of a 4connector 6, which connector is arranged to, be fixed to i the end of a conductoror cable 7 and to be removablyattached to a terminal post 8 of a storage'battery 9. lVh'ile the post 8l is usually formed 'of lead` which' is acid resistant,the

connectoris'formed of someother and stronger metal than leadfwhich other metals are subject 'to the corrosive action of the acid. The connector 6 is" provided centrally thereof with an opening 11 extending kas an eye through the connector between opposite faces l2 thereof and arranged to freely receive the battery post 8 which, in thepresent instance, is of circular cross-section., A set` screw 13 is thrpeadedly"v4 engaged in the connector 6 for -project-ion into the opening 11 radially thereof for a set engagement against the post'8 in the eye opening. Theopenin'g l1 i-s of generally. circular cross-section, and

since. its radius of curvature exceeds that of the post, a setting of the set-screw 13 against the post 8 will effect a two=-point electrical contact with the post at diamctricallyopposite sides thereof, thereby avoiding the necessity of a tight 4fit of the post in the opening 11 and insuring the ready rexnovability of the connector. The electrical contacts provided are also, of course, positive Ones. f

For securing the connector 6 to.` the cable 7, the former is provided Witha socket- 14 in leo which the cable extremity is arranged to be inserted and fixed as by soldering.

Preferably, and as shown, the axes of the set-screw 13 and socket 14 are` aligned diametricallyof the opening 11 and these elements lie at opposite sides of said opening.

A depression 15 in the form of an annular groove is provided in the'bore 16 of the eye opening 11, said groove lying intermediate the bore ends and being arranged toA receiveV the set-screw 13 therethrough. The width of the groove 15 axially ofthe bore preferably somewhat exceeds thc diameter of the setscrew for a reason to be hereinafter brought out. Mounted in the groove 15 in fitted engagernent therein is an annular packing ring 17 formed of a liquid pervious material such asfelt and having the general properties of a wick; since the wick properties of the ring `17 are all-important, as will appear, said member is hereinafter conveniently referred toas a wick. The central perforation of the wick 17 is smaller than the post 8 whereby the wick is arranged to forcibly engage about the post when the post is engaged in the connector. The set-screw 13 is arranged to extend throu h the wick 17 for engaging the post where yv its post contacting end 1s enclosed in the wick material. When the setscrew 13 is operative the postB is, of course, forcibly engaged with the bore 16 at one or both sides of the wick.

It will now be noted that the wick 17 is arranged -to contain a charge of a fluid or semiluid corrosion-preventing substance 18 whereby the post engaging set-screw portion and the post thereatare enclosed in said sub# stance and corrosion at-the point Vof Contact is positively prevented. The substance 18 it is noted, mustvalso possess the property of capillary movement through the Wick and along a metallic lsurface,`it being noted that .substancesl containing coal-oil are among those which possess both .of these properties as welll as being acid resistant. In this manner, the presence ofthe corrosion-preventing supply of the corrosion preventing substance at the contact points and on exposed surfaces of the connector. It is further noted that the creeping travel of the substance with which the wick is charged may readily extend over the entire connector surface, the set-screw, and adjacent cable portions, particularly if said surfaces be first coated'with said substance, such being indicated in a necessarily exaggerated degree in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

In view of the foregoing, it is seen that the groove 15 constitutes, ineffect, a reservoir for the corrosion-preventing substance 18, from which reservoir the wick 17 is operative to assist in distributing said substance over the post and connector surfaces entirely by capillarity. The resent connector is particularly shaped to acilitate this distribution, being designed as generally elliptical in plan to provide the mounting for the setscrew 13 and the cable receiving socket 14 at opposite ends thereof. The distance between the connector faces 12 is'also madeas small as is practicable. In this manner, the connector is arranged to contain a minimum of surface as well as material, and its surface portions are relatively close to the reservoir for receiving the coating substance therefrom. It is noted that the bore 16 is arranged to receive either truly cylindrical or taperedposts for securing therein by means ofthe set-screw'l, the present post 8 being of the former type.` It is clear that the post, also receives a coatinvr of the substance 18, such not being neede however, unless the post is of other material than lead.

Since aV charge of the corrosion-preventing substance 18' will gradually be dissipated through the capillary spreading action previously described, means are preferably provided for permitting a recharging of the reservoir 15 and wick 17 Withoutnecessitating a dismounting of the connector from the post. If the post 8 isconsiderably smaller than the connector bore 16, a space will be left along the post and above the Wick through which rechging material may be supplied to the reservoir and wick; but when, as' is shown and preferred, the post is'` but little smaller than the bore, a special provision must be made for permitting a rechargingof the reservoir groove 15. Accordingly, one or more axial slots 19 are provided in the bore 16, each slot extending from the groove 15 to a connector face l2 and cooperating with the opposed post surface to provide a conduit for the insertionpof material for'recharging the reservoir and wick. A plurality of the recharging conduits is preferablyprovided, and as shown, the bore 16 is axially slotted for the full length and at diametrica ly opposed sides thereof to provide four slots 19 wherebythe connector is reversedly mountableon the post to always provide two slots 19 'forrefilling the reservoir from above by gravity. Preferably, the plane of the slots 19 is perpendicular to the setscrew axis. If the rechargingtsubstance is not normally free flowing, it would be heated to increase its fluidity for recharging. The

upper slots 19 may, of course, contain an excess charge portion for distribution in the indicated manner.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have lo it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following 1. In a device for connecting a conduc tor to a terminal post, a body7 member providing` asocket for the fixed reception of an extremity of the conductor and an opening for the free reception of said post, a setscrew mounted in said body for engagement against a post in the opening, an annular depression in the bore of said opening, an annular g5 wick member disposed in said depression and arranged to resiliently engage about the post, and a corrosion-preventing substance impregnating said wick member.

2. In a connector for mounting on a cyl- 3o indrical terminal post, an eye providing a generally cylindrical bore for closely but freely receiving .said post, means for releasably fixing said post in said bore, a depression in said bore intermediate the ends thereof, a wick member in said depression for resiliently engaging the post, a corrosionpreventing substancein said depression and impregnatin g said wick member, and a groove in said bore extending axially from said depression `to an end of the bore whereby a passage is defined along the said bore for use in renewing the charge of said substance in the depression and wick member.

3. In a connector for mounting' on a terminal post, an eye providing a bore for freely receiving said post, means for releasably xing said post in said bore, a depression in said bore intermediate the ends thereof, a corrosion-preventing substance in said depression, and a groove in said bore extending axially from said depression to an end of the bore whereby a passage isA defined along'the said bore for use in renewing the charge of said substance in the depression.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature.

HENRY WEBER. 

